“The longer they stay on the tree, the juicier and sweeter they get,” Uncle Jack explained.

Fortunately, I had packed relatively lightly. My suitcase weighed exactly 50 bounds when I put the large grocery sack of citrus fruit into my luggage. The fruits helped me make a transition from the warm desert to the Mile High City’s record low temperatures.

My indoor citrus grove: 2 limes, 1 lemon

Back home in Denver, near the French doors, three potted citrus plants bear blooms and fruits. Two ‘Bearss’ limes and a Meyer lemon are in their third winter indoors. They prefer the hot, full sun patio in my secret garden in summer. But inside, they add an element of the exotic. The flowers are beautiful and perfumed. The fruits come in handy for mixing up a shaker of lemon drop martinis or a bowl of guacamole or other dishes calling for lemons or limes.

• Fresh citrus can act as a natural air-freshener, but for when you don't have the real thing on hand, try Watkins Lemon Citrus concentrated, non-aerosol room spray. Watkins has other lemon products, too, including a hand salve ideal for green thumbs. To support local Denver distributors at www.watkinsonline.com/windler and, if you will, tell them Colleen sent you.

Citrus have the juice. And you can even feast your eyes by piling vivid orange and green and yellow fruits piled in a bowl as an appealing centerpiece, too. Vitamin See for the soul.

Colleen Smith’s debut novel Glass Halo, set in Denver, was a finalist for the Santa Fe Literary Prize and was praised in The Bloomsbury Review. The novel is available online and through your favorite bookstore.

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BLUESTOCKING BLOG: COLORFUL POSTS ON A SPECTRUM OF TOPICS

Welcome to BLUESTOCKING BLOG, where you'll find colorful posts on a wide variety of topics: yoga (Iyengar, Bikram, and Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa), books, music, alpine skiing, gardening, food, memoir, design, nature, art and architecture, travel, ecojustice, and good news of general interest. I'll post everything from in-the-moment musings to articles and essays I've published in the mainstream media. I'm eager to join the blogosphere; and I hope you will take a moment to sign up as a Bluesox Reader or join the conversation by leaving a comment. Thank you for visiting.Fare thee well!

Bluestocking Departments

COLORADO COLLEEN = Drawing from a series titled "The Nature of...," which I wrote for a couple of years, these posts comment on wildlife, weather, landscapes, minerals, plants; and also skiing in the state of Colorado in the U.S.A.

THE WRITTEN WORD = Interviews with authors, book recommendations, book art, poetry, literary quotes.

NAMASTE’ = I’m in my 16th year of practicing hatha yoga. I began with 11-12 years of Iyengar yoga, and even taught for a couple of years, though I was not certified. I’m in my 5th year as a Bikram and Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa practitioner. I’ve completed two 30-day challenges (30 classes in 30 days); and in 2007, my yoga school named me Yogini of the Month—I was one of only two women who were so designated.

THE ARTS = Artist profiles, exhibitions, galleries, films. (I’ve written about art most of my career.)

WANDERLUST = Travel memoir, tips, (I have a couple of fairly well stamped passports, but in recent years, I’ve been getting around the United States.)

AND ECOJUSTICE FOR ALL = Environmental information, prophets, and products.

Bluestocking Bio

My baby book indicates that my first words were "book," "doggie," and "cookie." An English major, I studied in the Iowa Writer's Workshop English, was awarded the E.P. Kuhl Shakespeare Prize and was named a Fairall Scholar of Creative Writing. Since 1983, I've made my living as a writer. I’ve taught college creative writing classes; created communications for nonprofits; worked in media relations, public relations, ghostwriting, marketing/advertising, and mainstream journalism published locally, regionally and nationally. I've written two literary novels and am working on two nonfiction books. I'm a fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a international community of intellectuals. I’ve traveled widely, including international assignments in Asia, Israel, and Europe. In addition to writing and editing, I also work as an art director for print materials distributed nationwide. I do pro bono work for Colorado Vincentian Volunteers, and I serve on the board of directors of the Metro Infanta Foundation, assisting people in need in the Philippines.